Less Is More In New Star Wars Rogue One Poster

Ok, that looks a lot better than the first poster we saw. I love the reflection of the Rebel symbol in the water as the might of the Empire marches forward.

Let’s compare it to the first poster we at Star Wars Celebration.

Man, I forgot how busy it was. The difference in tone is also immediately apparent. The darker clouds behind the AT-ATs. The fallen Rebel helmet. It’s this mission that begins to turn the tide for the Rebel Alliance in their struggle against the Empire. Jyn and her team’s success at stealing the Death Star plans made it possible for the Rebels to take out the first Death Star.

Then the Empire built a second one. And the Rebels blew that one up. The First Order supersized their superweapon into a planet in The Force Awakens. Only for the Resistance to blow it up again. But not before Starkiller Base wipes out the New Republic’s center of government in the Hosnian System.

Congrats Erso and company. You stole the plans for the first Death Star to save the galaxy only for the galaxy to be in turmoil 30 years later. Hey, you can’t win them all.

The new poster does reinforce all the reports we’ve seen about Rogue One feeling more like a ‘war movie.’ Kathleen Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm, says the film “goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective.”

I’m crossing my fingers Disney can go 2 for 2 with Star Wars. Rogue One is undoubtedly taking a different approach. And I hope it works. Mainline Star Wars films can follow the same template of fun, adventure movies, while letting the standalone movies experiment. Who knows, Lucasfilm (and us) might like what comes out of it even more.

As for Rogue One’s box office? Disney CEO Bob Iger tried to tamp down expectations at an investor conference last month. But I doubt it worked. Sorry Iger, it’s Star Wars. A billion is Rogue One’s floor. Can it pull in $2 billion like The Force Awakens? I doubt it. The hype around last year’s film was insane. It was the first time seeing the characters we fell in love with in nearly 30 years.

Let me know what you think of the new poster. Which one is your favorite?